AI Advances Offer New Hope for Male Infertility Treatment
Istanbul, Turkey – Artificial intelligence is showing promise in assisting with the detection โof sperm โขin โcases of azoospermia,โ a condition affectingโ approximately five percent ofโ men, according โฃto experts โat koรง University Hospital andโค Medicana International Istanbul Hospital.โ The technology could perhaps reduce the โขneed for invasive surgicalโ procedures to retrieve sperm โfor in vitroโข fertilizationโ (IVF).
Azoospermia is defined as the absence of sperm in semen,โ thoughโ some men may โฃhave โvery few sperm present. โTraditionally, โlocating viable sperm requires painstaking microscopicโข examination byโฃ embryologists, or in certain specific โคcases, surgical sperm retrieval fromโ the testicles.
recent studies demonstrate AI’s potential to accelerate and improve sperm detection.โค Prof. Dr. Barฤฑล Ata of Koรง โUniversity Hospital’s In vitro Fertilization and Reproductive Health Center, notes the advantage of AIโ in image processing, stating, “It is โnot surprising that image processing โขsystemsโฆworkโค algorithmically, use optical systems better thanโ the humanโ eye, and are trained are more successfulโค than humans,โ or at least faster andโ more stable.”
A study highlighted by Prof. Dr. โSelmanโฃ Laรงin of Medicanaโ International Istanbul Hospital analyzed 2.5โ million images fromโ sperm video footage using AI,successfully detecting โsperm within approximately โฃtwo hours. “This shows that AI canโ now be easily โฃused in the field of in vitro fertilization,” Dr. Laรงin explained. “in this โrespect, it can โฃbe interpreted as a stimulating and promising โstudy.”
While experts caution that AI cannot create sperm, the technology offers the potential to increase the chances of finding sperm in samples were โthey โขare present,โ thereby increasing the possibility of pregnancy. Prof. Ata emphasized, “As an imaging technology cannot be expected to produce sperm โคin the โคabsence ofโ sperm,โข it would not be correct to say โฃ’the end of male infertility has come.'”
The โขdevelopment represents a significant step forward in reproductive technology,offering aโข lessโฃ invasive and potentially more effective approach to treating male infertility.